March Madness 2010: South Region Coach Power Rankings

With the brackets being released Sunday night, March Madness has officially begun.

Filling out your personal bracket has become more American than voting. Sixteen teams make up each bracket (not counting the play-in game), and each game is every bit as much about good coaching as it is about the performance of the players.

A coach has to motivate his team to either pull an upset or avoid one, as well as knowing when to make a substitution and drawing up plays during late timeouts that can lead to game-winning shots.

In this final article of a four-part slideshow, I’ll be breaking down the power rankings of the head coaches in the South region of the NCAA tournament.

My formula is weighted among four categories in order to create as unbiased a perspective as I can, but some coaches have been penalized for various reasons, which will be explained in their respective slides.

The formula is as follows: Career wins in Division I are worth five percent (the experience of a coach), wins in their last ten games are worth 35 percent (the momentum a team currently has), total NCAA tournament appearances are worth 20 percent (again, the experience of a coach and how many times he led his team this far), and titles are worth the remaining 40 percent (for those that have been here and won it all).

15. George Ivory - Arkansas-Pine Bluff

By beating Winthrop in last night’s play-in game, Ivory won his first NCAA tournament game. It’s an impressive feat for any mid-major, but it means so much more to a Golden Lions team that lost their first 11 games. They’ve only lost four games since.

It’s one of those great stories that comes around every March. Unfortunately, they have to play Duke in the first round. But by virtue of the play-in game, Arkansas-Pine Bluff still knows the thrill of winning a tournament game, and in the end, that’s more than enough to satisfy the fans.

14. Stew Morrill - Utah State

Counting this season, Morrill has led Utah State to 11 straight postseasons, yet has only advanced past the first round of the NIT or NCAA tournament once. But after thoroughly dominating the WAC this year and upsetting in-state rival BYU, this might be the Aggies’ year to advance to another second round.

Morrill has had success at Utah State, winning three straight regular season conference championships and going consecutive seasons without losing at home from 2007-2009. His team shoots well from the free throw line and three point range, which could become quite beneficial against Purdue in the first round.

13. Bob Marlin - Sam Houston State

Sam Houston State dominated the Southland conference this season, winning the regular season title by three games over Stephen F. Austin and knocking off Auburn and Florida International in non-conference play.

Their only two conference losses this season came in overtime, on the road, and by less than five points. They may not stand a chance against Baylor, but Marlin did a pretty good job this year anyway.

12. Fran McCaffrey - Siena

McCaffrey has led Siena’s recent dominance in the MAAC, resulting in three straight seasons of winning the regular season conference title and the conference tournament. Consistency like that at a mid-major school gets noticed, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see McCaffrey get a better job after this year’s tournament.

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind seeing him return to the state of North Carolina and take the Charlotte job, having previously coached at UNC-Greensboro for six seasons. But that’s beside the point. Siena is a solid team, but Purdue is a tall order for a first-round upset.

11. Randy Bennett - St Mary's

A team on the bubble this year, driven by last year’s NCAA tournament snub, St Mary’s upset heavily-favored Gonzaga in the WCC conference tournament and earned themselves a bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

The Gaels, under Bennett’s tenure, have become easily the second-best team in the WCC. They started the year off impressively, defeating New Mexico State and San Diego State, both of which made the field of 65 this season, and lost their third game to Vanderbilt by a measly two points.

Ultimately, I don’t see them beating Richmond, but two small schools battling it out will at least make for an entertaining first-round matchup.

10. Chris Mooney - Richmond

The third Atlantic-10 team to reach the NCAA tournament this season, Richmond is another sleeper led by a young head coach. Mooney has led the Spiders to three straight postseason berths, and this is the first trip to the NCAA tournament under his tenure.

Richmond was a surprise team in the A-10 this year, finishing 13-3 in conference games and 26-8 overall. The Spiders also made it to the finals of the conference tournament, more than sealing their NCAA tournament berth. Guard Kevin Anderson was named A-10 player of the year; quite impressive considering the performance of Xavier’s Jordan Crawford.

If Richmond plays in the tournament like they did during the regular season, a second-round upset over Villanova isn’t an unreasonable assumption.

9. Scott Drew - Baylor

I know Baylor made the NCAA tournament in 2008 for the first time in Drew’s tenure as head coach, but I’m still amazed at how the program rebounded from 2003’s tragic loss of Bears player Patrick Dennehy. The school imposed sanctions of its own: Only seven scholarships for two years and a one year postseason ban.

Slowly, under Drew’s guidance and recruiting, the Bears started to heal and work their way back into national relevance. It takes a lot of courage to take on such a challenge, and to return a team to the NCAA tournament in just five years is nothing short of amazing.

Drew led the Bears to the NIT championship game last year, falling just short. Returning to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years speaks volumes about the program, and if ESPN analysts are right, Baylor has the potential to make an Elite Eight run this season.

8. Blaine Taylor - Old Dominion

Wins: 328
Wins in last 10: 8
Tournament Appearances: 5

Having grown up in the area and gone to a few concerts at the Constant Convocation Center, I’m a little partial to ODU. It’s a fairly nice school, and both their men’s and women’s basketball teams are pretty solid.

Since 2004, Taylor has led the Monarchs to a postseason berth every season, winning last year’s CIT tournament, a tertiary March championship.

This season, the Monarchs were responsible for derailing Charlotte’s season and upsetting Georgetown in D.C. With upset potential like that, Old Dominion could become the next mid-major team to shake things up in the Big Dance.

7. Matt Painter - Purdue

This is Painter’s fourth straight trip to the big dance, and Purdue keeps getting further every year. The Boilermakers reached the second round two years in a row before advancing to the Sweet Sixteen last year, and after winning the Big Ten regular season championship, have secured an easy first round matchup against Siena.

Painter led Purdue to a perfect non-conference effort, losing his first game Jan. 9 at Wisconsin. It prompted a three-game losing streak (extended by Ohio State and Northwestern), but Purdue snapped the streak and wouldn’t lose again until Feb. 28 against Michigan State.

In other words, if Purdue gets streaky, they’re going to be a deadly team in this year’s tournament. Then again, come mid-March, one loss is all it takes to send you home.

6. Mark Turgeon - Texas A&M

Turgeon became the coach of the Aggies in 2007 after a run of success at Wichita State, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2006. Since taking the job at College Station, Turgeon has made two NCAA tournaments in the previous two seasons, each resulting in a first-round win.

Turgeon had an amazing season, only losing by double digits twice: to Kansas and Kansas State. Non-conference victories over Clemson, Minnesota, and North Texas only further strengthened the Aggies’ tournament bid, earning the fourth seed in the South region.

At 45, Turgeon is still a young coach, and has a lot left to accomplish. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

5. Mike Montgomery - California

Montgomery is best-known for his tenure at Stanford, spanning from 1986-2004, which includes the 1991 NIT championship, a Final Four, and a Sweet Sixteen. He left Stanford in 2004 after a 30-2 season and a second-round exit in the NCAA tournament in spite of being one of the favorites to win it all.

The NBA wasn’t kind to Montgomery, as he finished 34-48 in each of his two seasons with Golden State. Still, with nearly 600 career wins and a Pac-10 title this year, Montgomery has proven he’s still more than capable to be effective in college basketball, and if it wasn’t for an unlucky draw, I’d say he has the chance to make some noise in this year’s tournament.

4. Jay Wright - Villanova

Until Feb. 15, Villanova had only lost two games all season. The Wildcats then stumbled down the stretch, going 4-5 since, and limping into the NCAA tournament. In all fairness, those five losses came to UConn, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Marquette.

In his previous five seasons, Wright has led the Wildcats to five NCAA tournaments, including two Sweet Sixteens, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four. Analysts this year predict another Final Four run for Villanova, in particular because of the way they beat Duke in last year’s NCAA tournament.

His last losing season came in 2003, when the Wildcats still made it into the opening round of the NIT.

Wright is a great fit for Villanova, and he has plenty of great years to come.

3. Mike Brey - Notre Dame

Mike Brey showed his true colors this season. Faced with the possibility of only making the NIT, Brey rallied his Fighting Irish and pulled out big wins against Pitt, Georgetown, UConn, Marquette, Seton Hall, and Pitt one more time to earn a spot in the field of 65.

While the Irish didn’t have a tough non-conference schedule, they got the job done in Big East play, rightfully earning their bid. Brey holds an impressive postseason streak, making either the NCAA tournament or NIT every year since 1997-98. He also put together a streak of 45 straight wins at home between 2006 and 2009.

At 50 years old, Brey still has a long career ahead. If he can keep up this pace, expect Notre Dame to be a more legitimate force in basketball than football for years to come. Maybe they should redo that mural and call it Slam Dunk Jesus instead.

2. Rick Pitino - Louisville

I have a lot of respect for Rick Pitino. He’s won big at every stop he’s made in college, with the exception of his first job at Boston University, and is the only coach to ever take three different schools to the Final Four.

To give you an idea how much influence he has, after winning a national title at Kentucky and trying his hand at the NBA, failing, and returning to the college game, he was able to lure away potential in-state recruits from Kentucky to his new program, Louisville. To this day, he’s still considered enemy of the state in Lexington.

While I don’t expect him to get as far this year, Pitino has led Louisville to the Elite Eight the past two seasons. With a national title, five Final Fours, and the 1987 Naismith coach of the year award, it’s impossible to not consider Pitino as one of the elite coaches in college basketball.

1. Mike Krzyzewski - Duke

Just like in the West region with Jim Boeheim, no real explanation is needed here. Since 1980, he’s been the face of not just Duke basketball, but the entire university. It’s because of his success on the court that people not only know how to pronounce Krzyzewski, but know how to spell it.

Coach K began his playing career in 1966 at Army under the legendary Bob Knight. He was named team captain his senior season, and went on to eventually coach the Black Knights from 1975-1980.

His tenure at Duke has been everything a great coaching career should be. Coach K has been to several Final Fours, won three national championships, three Naismith coach of the year awards, an Olympic gold medal for coaching men’s basketball at the 2008 summer games, and countless other achievements.

His influence can be seen far and wide in the basketball world. Former players Jay Bilas and Mike Gminski work as college analysts/play-by-play men; former assistants Johnny Dawkins, Mike Brey, and Jeff Capel, among others, have gone on to head coaching positions in Division I; and several players, such as Grant Hill, Carlos Boozer, Corey Maggette, Chris Duhon, Elton Brand, Shane Battier, J.J. Redick, and Christian Laettner, have gone on to success at the professional level.

Whether you love the Blue Devils or hate them, you can’t deny the relevance of Mike Krzyzewski. He’s arguably the best coach in the the game today, and considered alongside Adolph Rupp, former mentor Bob Knight, former rival Dean Smith, and contemporaries Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun as one of the greatest to ever coach college basketball.